This invention relates to the field of printing, and is primarily, but not exclusively, concerned with a printing apparatus for converting printing information received from a word processor or host computer into dot data and printing an image on the basis of the dot data.
A page printer, arranged to convert character information or figure information from a word processor or a host computer into dot data, is known. The printer prints an image on the basis of the dot data using a printing device, such as a laser beam printer (LBP) or an ink jet printer, etc.
However, in known page printers, it takes time to convert printing information into dot data. Particularly, it takes an appreciable amount of time to convert printing information representing ruled lines or figures into dot data.
This conversion time limits the speed at which a printing operation can be performed.